Big Traction and Intimidating Equipment

My day started just the way I suspected it would: in pain. I brought it on myself, since I decided to go knee boarding yesterday. I still believe it was completely worth it. Most of the pain has ended up in my arms, which doesn't surprise me in the least.

So, as I proceeded to get up and take some of the usual painkiller, I realized that there was a little pain in my back, but certainly not as bad as the aforementioned arm pain. And not as bad as a usual work day.

So, I had a pretty good idea where this place was that I was going when I left this morning, but apparently, not a good enough of an idea. In true Amy fashion, I managed to get myself lost. The problem was...I went way too far down Ridgeway. Figures. After a phone call to the office and some directions, I managed to find the place. And after I circled the building, I managed to find the entrance. And after I walked down the wrong hallway, I managed to find the right area. I was embarrassingly 15 minutes late for my appointment, but at least I won't get lost again.

They started off my therapy by laying on a heat pad, which felt amazing. The physical therapist came in and started asking me questions, then finally explained what traction really is. I'll get to that later.

They then took me to the traction machine. This is a rather intimidating-looking piece of equipment. They put two harnesses on me, one around my hips, and one that went the whole length of my back. I was then attached to the machine. This is where it all got kind of medieval. Traction works by stretching your back. Which means...the attach the harness to one end of the machine, which pulls with a certain weight. There are padded posts under your arms, which holds your upper body in place. You are then told to relax as the machine pulls for 60 seconds, then releases for about 40 seconds or so. Rinse and repeat.

All of this is well and good, except for the nerve in my lumbar region that got pinched somehow. The pain started about 10 minutes in, and by 15 minutes it was so excruciating that I couldn't take it anymore. They had to take me off of the machine. They think the cause was the lumbar cushion was inflated too much. In my next appointment tomorrow, they're going to lower the pull weight and deflate the cushion a little. I really hope it works.

All of this is for my lower back, which for some reason, they think they need to do this for. My herniated disk has always been a red herring of sorts: a lot of people focus on that and not the more painful scoliosis pain. I brought this up, and as I suspected, they were focusing more on this less painful area of my back.

My session finished with a 15 minute relaxation time on some cold packs and electrodes. It helped a little.

Tomorrow we are also going to start some exercises with a ball for my scoliosis pain, while continuing the traction for my lower spine. They are also going to continue the electrode therapy. We'll see if the traction goes any better tomorrow.